Survival
by amy.ward.906
Summary: A routine body drop turns into protection detail when a teenage girl is found on the scene. What happened...and what will happen?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:i do not own NCIS**

**A/N: my first NCIS fic...please be nice**

It had been unusually quiet today in the bullpen. Tony was snoozing at his desk, his head on his arms, mouth slightly open with a bit of drool dampening his shirt sleeve. McGee was writing down random thoughts that came to him. Why, you may ask? He figured that maybe he could use these thoughts in future books. Ziva…well she was messing with a paperclip.

"Grab your gear. We have a dead naval officer at the Fairmont Hotel." Gibbs said to the team. Ziva and McGee grabbed their stuff and were halfway to the elevator. Once Gibbs realized one of their team was missing, he doubled back.

"DiNozzo!" he yelled at Tony, while delivering him a head slap. Jolting awake at the contact, Tony wiped the drool from his mouth and was just barely able to grab his jacket and cap before Gibbs dragged him to the elevator. Leaving NCIS the team drove off to the hotel.

Upon entering room 212, they saw Ducky. "Ah Jethro, how is the team doing this fine day?"

"Better than him," Gibbs replied, referring to the dead body.

"Yes, indeed. Well the time of death appears to be 48 hours ago. Also it would seem our young man was married," Ducky told Gibbs, showing him the gold wedding band. Then McGee came in while Tony and Ziva were dealing with the crime scene.

"Boss, I just talked to the front desk and they reported two people being checked into this room."

"Hey ya think the other person killed this guy?" asked Tony.

McGee just shrugged. Then Tony got a look on his face and moved towards the closet. Opening the door, he called Gibbs over. As they looked in the closet McGee came over and looked in the closet as well before saying, "Who's the girl?"


	2. Chapter 2

_Previously…_

_McGee: Who's the girl?_

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS**

Gibbs bent down to look in the girl's eyes. "Are you hurt?" he asked her. Looking at the silver-haired man, she shook her head. "What's your name?" Gibbs asked her.

"Amy," she said, her voice almost in a whisper. Gibbs reached into the small space and pulled the girl to her feet. Seeing she body she asked, "Samuel's dead, isn't he?"

Gibbs hated this part of the job. Thankfully DiNozzo stepped in and asked her, "Is that his name?" Amy nodded. Tony took a deep breath before saying, "Sorry kid." Amy stood there, blinking back tears and trying not to cry, trying to be tough.

"DiNozzo, McGee," said Gibbs. "Take Amy back to the yard and keep an eye on her."

"You got it Boss," the two agents said. Driving the girl back to NCIS and entering the bullpen, Tony offered the girl his desk while he took a seat at Ziva's. McGee asked Amy, "You want something to eat or…"

Amy just shook her head. "No, I'm okay."

Tony knew if she didn't have something, Gibbs would have his head. "You sure?" he asked her.

Amy nodded. "Could I have some pencil and paper though?"

"Yeah," McGee replied, handing her a pencil and some loose leaf paper. "Here you go." She took them and just started filling up the paper with circles, not complete circles though. More like the letter C in block format. Some were shaded in completely, some only partially. They varied from light shading with the pencil barely visible to dark, where it was so heavy that if you ran your finger over it, you would have a smudge of pencil ink on your fingertip. After almost 2 hours Tony asked her, "Whatcha drawing kid?"

"Imperfection."

"Samuel teach you that?" Gibbs asked her as he got off the elevator and came and looked at what Amy was drawing.

"Yes sir," she replied.

"It's Gibbs."

"Okay Gibbs."

RING! RING! "DiNozzo," Tony said answering the phone. "Uh-huh…yeah…okay. Send her up."

A few moments later a woman came off the elevator. Amy got up from the desk and walking over to her said, "Amanda…I-

CRACK!

The sound of this woman slapping the young girl echoed through the silent bullpen.

"Hey!" Tony yelled coming over to Amy. He looked at her face, seeing if there was any marks before pulling her into his arms, protecting her. Gibbs was also blocking Amy from this woman.

"That was killing my husband you little bitch!"

Gibbs looked at this woman in shock, "What did you say?"

"You heard me."

"This is no way to treat your daughter-

"Foster daughter, and you can just hand her back over to Social Services!" Amanda yelled before storming back to the elevator and leaving the building. Gibbs looked at Amy and asked her, "You're a foster child?"

"Yes sir…I mean Gibbs."

"McGee, call Ducky and have him bring up an ice pack."

"On it Boss."

Tony tried to lead Amy back to his desk, but she just pulled away from him. Gibbs noticed and said to Amy, "Roll up your sleeves."

She looked down at her feet before slowly pulling them up to her elbows. The three men saw the marks on her arm just as Ducky came off the elevator. "Ah Jethro, I've got the ice pack you requested…" Seeing the marks on Amy's arm as well, he asked her, "Good gracious my dear. What happened?"

"Amanda and I didn't always get along." Ducky was at first confused to who Amanda was, but Gibbs quickly filled him in on Amy's situation. It was soon decided that Amy should leave and go home with McGee for tonight, which she did so about half an hour later.

**A/N: okay so the deal with Amy drawing incomplete circles is this. She is a foster kid which can sometimes suck. Circles are perfect, but her life isn't. So she draws these to deal with imperfection. This way she can control it. Kind of an anger management/calming/stress relieving technique. Does that make sense to anyone other than myself?**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: okay…a guest reviewer said Amanda (Amy's foster mom) should have been arrested for assault and child abuse. I agree but sadly this won't happen as Amanda will not be coming back into the story. Which is a good thing. Also this chapter is set in McGee's apartment from the Season 3 episode Bloodbath. But the story itself is after Bloodbath…anyway the timeline is screwed up.**

McGee unlocked the door and into the apartment went himself and the teenage girl. He then left her standing in the living room as he straightened up the bedroom, then pulled a sleeping bag from the closet and set that up in the living room. Turning to Amy after doing all this he asked her, "Are you hungry?"

She just shook her head.

"You need to eat. I could order some pizza or-

"I'm fine."

McGee said to her, "You haven't eaten in two days."

"What do you mean two days?"

"You were in that closet for two days when your foster dad…" he stopped mid-sentence when he realized what he was reminding her of. Right then Amy's stomach growled.

"Could I have a sandwich or something?" Amy asked hesitantly. McGee nodded and left her to sit in the living room while he fixed her a ham and cheese sandwich. Giving her that and a can of Orange Soda, she ate a few bites of it and sipped on her soda before setting her food down.

"You done?" he asked.

"Yeah. It's good. I'm not all that hungry I guess." She was hungry, but her stomach was churning. So much was happening, she just couldn't deal.

"You're safe here," McGee said to her, realizing she was more nervous and scared then she let on. Amy trying to shy away from everything asked McGee, "Can I go to bed?"

"Sure."

She went to the bathroom to change into some sleepwear, then climbed into McGee's bed and tried to fall asleep.

**2 A.M.**

She had been trying for what seemed like forever to fall asleep, but it just wasn't happening. Then she heard a noise coming from the living room. She closed her eyes feigning sleep as the bedroom door was opened and McGee came in and quietly walked to the bathroom. On his way back to the living room, he realized Amy wasn't asleep and called her on it.

"Still awake?" he asked her.

"Can't sleep."

"Bad dreams?"

"I wish. That would mean I would have fallen asleep."

"It's 2 AM."

Amy let out an exasperated sigh. "I know what time it is. It's just...I…" her voice shook. "He's going to come after me."

"Who?"

Amy started to tell McGee what she remembered while hiding in the closet.

**Start of Flashback**

_Sam was acting weird, then he shoved me in the closet. I fell to the floor as he shut the door. Then I heard shouting…_

"_Where is she?"_

"_You're not getting her." I heard Sam say to a man. At least the voice sounded like a man_

"_She's mine Samuel."_

"_Over my dead body."_

"_Fair enough." Then I heard a thump a moment later. Whoever he was, he must have shot Sam using a silencer. Everything feels like it is closing in, then I see light…_

**End of Flashback**

"I must have zoned out until Gibbs and the rest of you guys found me."

"We'll tell Gibbs this tomorrow. Now go to sleep," he said, sitting next to her on the edge of the bed. Alternating between rubbing her back and stroking her hair, Amy slowly drifted off to sleep under his calming touch, only waking up 4 hours later when McGee dragged her out of bed and took her into work with him at NCIS.


	4. Chapter 4

DING!

The elevator door opened and out stepped "McBabysitter. Kiddo." Said Tony addressing them as they entered the bullpen. Amy immediately sat at McGee's desk and rested her head on her arms and started to fall asleep.

"Hey Probie," Tony said to McGee, "What's with the snooze fest?" he asked his fellow agent as he motioned to the girl.

"She didn't sleep much last night." Tim replied.

"Nightmares?"

"No, she-

"McGee, why is Amy asleep at your desk?" Gibbs asked Timothy as he entered the bullpen, with his coffee in hand.

"She didn't sleep much last night."

"Nightmares?" asked Gibbs.

"That's what I thought," said Tony, before he received his first Gibbs-slap of the day. "Right Boss," he said, sitting down at his desk.

"Not nightmares. She remembered what she overheard while in the closet."

"What did she overhear?" Gibbs asked.

"She thinks the man that killed her foster father was after her."

Gibbs looked at the tired girl before saying, "Take her home McGee." Doing so, he tucked her into his bed and told her, "The phone's right here," placing a cell phone on the nightstand beside his bed. "I'll be back by 6PM. If I have to stay later I'll call. If it gets past 10PM then I will check in then and again at 2AM." Amy nodded, before repeating what he had said to her for conformation. Then she fell back into her half-asleep state. The next thing she knew…

_6PM_

BUZZ! BUZZ!

Jolting awake, she picked up the vibrating cell phone. Checking the caller ID before answering she said, "Hey McGee."

Before McGee could reply, she heard Tony in the background. "Is the squirt just getting up?" This question was followed by a distinctive thump. "Hey Agent Gibbs," Amy said.

"Eat some dinner Amy," he said to her.

"Yes sir, Agent Gibbs, sir." She said to him. He grinned a bit.

"Hey," McGee said. "Gibbs is right. Eat something and I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Okay," she told him. "Hey McGee, do…do you know who killed Samuel yet?" Amy asked him, for a minute sounding vulnerable.

"We're working on some leads."

"Good, just…just find out okay?" Amy wasn't too crazy about being in foster care, but Sam was the best foster parent she'd ever had.

"We will," Timothy said, then hung up.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS! There I've said it. I have no connection to this show other than this idea that I have created.**

**A/N: Here is where everything starts heating up. (future spoiler alert)**

_McGee's apartment 2AM_

Waking up with that annoying middle of the night feeling, Amy climbed out of bed and went to the bathroom to empty her bladder. As she re-entered the bedroom, she saw the phone lit up and vibrating on the nightstand, beside the bed.

'_2AM'_ she thought as she reached for the phone. However that was her last thought before everything went dark.

_Meanwhile at NCIS…_

McGee was going through the camera footage from the hotel when he noticed something. "Boss, I've got something." He told Gibbs bringing the footage up on the plasma. The video being played showed a man enter Samuel's hotel room #212, only to exit 2 minutes later.

"Ziva, have Abby run his face through the system. See if she can get a hit."

"Okay."

"Hey Probie," said Tony, "shouldn't you be calling the squirt right about now?" he said to McGee when he noticed the time. McGee looked at his watch and picked up the phone to call Amy. However, there was no answer. After hearing several rings, he disconnected the call and put on his jacket, quickly leaving the bullpen.

"McGee?" Tony called after him. "Where ya going?"

"Is everything all right?" Ziva asked Tony as she came back up from the lab. "Is something wrong with the droplet?"

"The term is squirt Ziva," Tony corrected the former assassin, "And to answer your question, I'm not sure. I'm gonna find out though." He said to her before tearing off after McGee.

The two men arrived back at the apartment and what they found was bad. The cell phone was knocked on the floor, halfway under McGee's bed and Amy was nowhere in sight.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I love everyone for all the support you have given me. The favs, the follows, especially the reviews. This is the proof that shows you care. Plus the view count… (author tries not to cry). Okay so enough of this speech that resembles an award win. This story is almost over. Only another 3 or 4 more chapters. **

She woke up a bit dazed to say the least, only to realize she was gagged with her feet bound behind her and her hands off to the side tied to a metal pipe. The floor her knees were currently pressed against seemed to be concrete and even though it was dark, the area she was in didn't seem to be much bigger than she was.

Suddenly she was blinded by light. She blinked a few times to focus her vision. Then she saw a man, but that wasn't scary. What was scary however was the voice of the man.

"You've grown up," he said.

The voice…she recognized it. This man was the person who killed her foster father, Samuel.

As the gag was taken from her mouth and a water glass was held to her lips, she drank the liquid before asking him, "Why?" She had to know. She had to know why he had killed Sam.

"Why what?" The man asked her.

"Why'd you kill him?"

"He wouldn't give you to me."

She was confused. "Why would he? I mean who are you?"

"Your mother never told. Did she? I'm your father."

She didn't believe him. She shook her head, not wanting to believe him. He could tell that he wasn't making much progress in getting her to understand, so he pulled out an old photo of the three of them at the hospital.

When she saw it her eyes went wide. Looking at the photo and then at him, recognition dawned on her face. Her father, her real father, had killed a man just to get to her. So she opened her mouth and screamed.

Not wanting anyone to hear her, he put his hand over her mouth to muffle her screaming. When she stopped he removed it and was rewarded with her spitting in his face. "You're not my dad," she said to him.

Angry at her, furious, livid even, he put the gag back in her mouth and closed the door, re-locking her in the small space. As she sat there, tied up, she wondered if he planned on killing her…

_At NCIS..._

RING! RING!

Gibbs picks up the phone to hear his excited lab rat. "Gibbs, get down here. I've got something." Gibbs left he desk and went down to the lab. As he entered the lab, Abby pulled up some documents on the computer.

"What do you got for me?" Gibbs asked the Goth.

"Okay, so the guy's name is Adam Parks. According to Amy's foster dad, Samuel Eaton, according to his phone records, Adam's contacted Samuel multiple times before Sam was killed."

"Do you know what about?"

"You know how Amy told McGee about the guy who killed Sam being there for her?"

"Yeah…

"Well, I think I've found out why." Maximizing a document, she showed Gibbs the reason. "Adam Parks is Amy's biological father. He was denied custody because…

Gibbs didn't hear Abby finish what she was saying. He was already gone. Riding back up to the bullpen, he said to his team, "Find the address of Adam Parks."

Only a few minutes later, "321 Oak Drive," said Ziva.

"Is the one who has the kid Boss?" Tony asked Gibbs. McGee looked up from his desk and saw Gibbs nod his head. Practically leaping from his chair, he went to the elevator and was immediately followed by the team.

NCIS was on a mission to find this girl.


	7. Chapter 7

She wasn't sure how much time had passed since he had locked her up in here. All she knew was that she was starting to get scared. Since he initially revealed to her who he was and she had spat in his face, he had shut the door and locked her in this small space and he hadn't come back.

Breathing in deep through her nose, she stopped mid-breath. That wasn't…no it…it couldn't be…

Sniffing the air again, she realized it was true. She smelled smoke. She started to try and break herself free 'cause she'd be damned if she let herself burn to death and die in here.

_Upstairs…_

Adam could hear the sirens. Looking out the window, he saw two cars come racing down the street.

'_To hell with this'_ he thought. If his daughter didn't want him, which she already proven earlier, he sure as hell wasn't gonna hand her over to these cops. Luckily for him, he had planned for this. Lining the house, not to mention the basement, with lots of gasoline and fire starter, he pulled out his lighter and a gun.

Then outside he heard them. "Adam Parks, NCIS! Open up!" Bending down and setting off the first trail of flames, he quickly threw his lighter towards the basement and took off out the back.

_Outside…_

Ziva saw Adam try and cut through his back yard. "Gibbs, he went out the back!" She told him before taking off after him. Dodging bullets that were fired, she and Tony chased after the kidnapper.

"Boss do you smell that?" McGee asked Gibbs. Gibbs sniffed the air before hearing something and dove off the porch taking McGee with him. Just as they hit the ground, fire and smoke exploded out the front and side downstairs windows.

Scrambling off the front lawn as soon as the initial blast had subsided, they made it to the curb by the cars. McGee looked back towards the house. "Boss, that fire's spreading pretty fast."

"The fire department is on their way McGee." Gibbs said.

"Boss, Amy's still in there."

"McGee-

"AMY!" McGee yelled, trying to get Amy to hear him and find her way out. Not hearing anything, he turned to Gibbs and said, "She's not answering."

"McGee- Gibbs could hear the fire trucks in the distance.

"I'm going in after her." He tried to run inside, but was stopped by Gibbs.

"Boss-

"I'll go in." He said and then ran inside. Crashing through the front door, he pulled a handkerchief from his jacket pocket and used it to cover his mouth. Coughing a few time as the smoke thickened, he looked around. He knew he had to be quick. Following his gut, he headed towards the basement.

_In the basement…_

Heat was filling the small space and the bits of smoke weren't too far behind. She was making no luck with the restraints. Then she thought…yeah it was them…

"Amy!"

They had found her. The gag was still in her mouth, but she did her best to make some kind of noise to alert that person to her location. Screaming around her gag, she inhaled some of the smoke making her cough. Her eyes started to burn and water. Closing them and coughing some more, suddenly someone was cutting the restraints that had tied her to the metal pole and taking her out of the smoke filled house.

_Gibbs POV_

Running down the basement stairs, he looked around the basement. He couldn't see her. Removing the cloth from his mouth for a brief moment he called out her name.

"Amy!"

Hearing a scream and then some coughing coming from his left side, he went over to the wall and saw a padlock on a small trap door. Breaking the lock he saw her. Reaching in, he noticed she was tied with rope. Pulling out his knife, he quickly cut the rope and lifted her in his arms before running back up the stairs and out of the house.

_3__rd__ person POV_

McGee, seeing his boss exit the house with Amy in his arms, ran over to them. "You both okay?"

Before either one could answer they were immediately taken aside by paramedics. As they were both given oxygen and treated for smoke inhalation, (Gibbs under protest of course) and Amy treated for rope burns, McGee came over.

"You guys okay?"

Gibbs said he was, while Amy just nodded, still a little scared. McGee gave the girl a hug which she returned. Then the fun part began. Just as the EMT's gave Amy the all-clear, her social worker showed up.

"What the hell happened?"

"Who are you?" Tim asked the lady.

"I'm Amy's social worker," she said. Gibbs glared at her. Just then Tony and Ziva came over. "Adam Parks is in custody Boss," said Tony.

"Parks? Amy's father?" The social worker questioned.

"Yeah, he kidnapped Amy and tried to kill her by burning the house down with her inside. Not to mention he murdered Samuel Eaton and Samuel's wife Amanda was abusing Amy." Gibbs spat out in rage.

"I'm so sorry-

"Agent Gibbs. NCIS."

"Agent Gibbs, I'm so sorry. I've been on maternity leave. No one told me about any of this."

"I'm okay Ms. Sharp." Amy said from the back of the ambulance. She wasn't mad at her.

"Still, none of this should have happened Amy." Ms. Sharp said to the teenage girl. She knew a lot of social workers didn't care too much about the kids on their case load, but she did her very best to avoid these kinds of situations. "Luckily I've got some good news. A family in Richmond is interested in adopting you."

Stepping out of the ambulance, she looked at the NCIS team who had saved her. "Congratulations squirt," Tony said. The rest of the team was happy as well. She hugged McGee saying, "Thanks for everything." Then she hugged Gibbs and said, "Thanks for saving me."

Then turning away, she went with her social worker to meet her new family.


	8. Chapter 8

_8 years later_

Standing at the grave of Samuel Eaton in Oak Hill Cemetery, Amy Baxter placed a single white rose and sent a silent prayer his way. Then leaving the graveyard and heading to her Metallic Green Chevy Cruise which had been a present from her adoptive parents. Getting in her car just as the rain started, she drove to her new job. At 24 years old she had landed a job at… well that's a surprise.

Pulling up to the gate and showing her ID badge, she pulled into the lot and parked. Bracing herself she opened the door, got out and shut the door before running for shelter in the downpour. Making in the building soaking wet, she decided to go see someone before clocking in. Getting in the elevator she rode on it for a few flights before getting off on a familiar floor. Stepping off, she saw her new boss.

'_There goes my chance for a de-tour' _she thought.

"Ms. Baxter, a bit water-logged?"

She shrugged. Shaking her head she said, "Nah." Then she saw him, grumpy as usual. Deciding to introduce herself, she shook her head in his direction and got multiple water droplets on him.

"What the-

"Meet your new team member, Ms. Baxter." Amy's boss to the man she had just watered.

"Hey Gibbs," Amy said to her team leader. Yep, she was working for NCIS!

"You already told her my name?" Gibbs asked Jenny.

"Nope I remembered," she said to the man. Gibbs looked at her strangely, before she decided to remind him. "You pulled me from a burning building 8 years ago. This was after you pulled me from a closet at The Fairmont."

"Imperfection," he said to her. She nodded. "Good to see you Amy."

"You too Agent Gibbs," she replied, before walking off to go see the rest of the team. "Hey McGee," she said before kneeling down to the dog resting next to his desk. "Awe who's this cutie?" she asked him as she ruffled the German Shepard's fur.

"His name's Jethro," Timothy said to the strange girl.

Gibbs coming in said, "I see you've already made yourself feel welcome."

"Just waiting for you to tell me what to do."

"Well you can park yourself at McGee's desk for now Amy," he said to the girl, just before his phone rang.

"Amy?" McGee questioned. "As in-

"Uh-huh. It's good to see you McGee."

Tony and Ziva, coming off the elevator heard this. "Amy? You came back to see us squirt?" Tony asked her.

"Actually I'm working here now." She said before hugging him.

"Grab your gear. We've got a body off of Interstate 395." Gibbs said. "McGee you're with Amy."

"Come on Tim," Amy said to McGee as he leashed Jethro, who was now a crime scene dog for NCIS. The team then headed to the scene. As they drove off Amy thought _'It's good to be back.'_

**The End**


End file.
